Chapter 3399 A New Scene
After a while, everything was ready and the group boarded the dragon boat, which slowly sailed away from the Imperial Mausoleum in the vast sea of smoke.
Nan Yan stood at the stern, looking at the thin figure of Master Shangshan on the dock, her brows furrowed.
At this moment, a muffled cough from the side interrupted her thoughts. She turned around and saw Zhu Feng covering his mouth with a fist and coughing twice. In fact, it was already summer at this time, and other places had already become hot, but the Imperial Tomb Temple was on the Xingluo Lake, and the water vapor was cold, so it was still a bit chilly in the morning and evening.
Zhu Feng was standing at the stern, wearing only a thin long gown. When the wind blew on him, he inexplicably gave people the impression that he was very thin.
Thinking back to what Master Shangshan had just said, Nan Yan's face couldn't help but darken.
So he said, "Your Majesty, please go in and rest."
Zhu Feng cleared his throat and immediately put on a nonchalant expression, saying, "Are you nagging again? Can't I just look at the scenery?"
Nan Yan looked up at the sky and said seriously, "The sun hasn't risen yet, and the humidity is still very high. Concubine Yi has already taken Xinping and Yongping into the cabin. Is the emperor standing outside and waiting for the wind?"
Zhu Feng looked at her unhappily.
Nan Yan still said: "It's not too late to come out and enjoy the scenery after the sun comes out."
After saying that, she grabbed Zhu Feng's sleeve and pretended to drag him into the cabin. Zhu Feng couldn't resist her after all, so he could only shake his head and smile bitterly, and followed her into the cabin.
Later, when the sun came out, he did not go up to the deck to see the scenery because he started to feel seasick again not long after.
Nan Yan and Yi Fei originally wanted to serve, but Zhu Feng refused, saying that he just wanted to sleep for a while, and drove them out of the cabin. Nan Yan knew that he wanted some face, so she didn't say much and took Yi Fei to the deck to enjoy the scenery.
I did manage to steal a little time off from my busy life.
Concubine Yi was still a little uneasy. She looked back again and then said softly, "Sister, why is the emperor so seasick? Has he been like this before?"
Nan Yan said: "Actually, it was much better five years ago."
The five years ago she was talking about was when Zhu Chengjin was causing chaos in Jinling.
Concubine Yi naturally understood immediately, but she didn't ask any further questions. She only said softly, "Why did you feel so seasick this time? I've heard that seasickness is either something you've been carrying from the womb, or it's just that you're not in good health. Your Majesty shouldn't be like that."
Nan Yan's heart sank when she heard this.
The words that Master Shangshan said before leaving echoed in her ears again.
Zhu Feng didn't look sick on the surface, and he seldom visited Concubine Yi, so she couldn't tell at all.
However, Nan Yan, who had served him for many years, knew very well that Zhu Feng's health had really deteriorated a lot compared to the past.
"Mother?"
Concubine Yi beside her whispered, "What are you thinking about?"
Nan Yan came back to her senses and realized she had been distracted. She forced a smile and said, "Nothing. Maybe the Emperor was exhausted from his trip to the northwest last year, and he hasn't had a good rest since he came back."
Concubine Yi nodded and said, "Yes, this time I came back during the Chinese New Year. After the New Year, envoys from Japan and small countries in Southeast Asia came to pay their respects. I feel tired just listening to them. This time, we have to travel thousands of miles to Nanjing. Sigh..."
Seeing her distressed expression, Nan Yan smiled and said, "Now that we're in Jinling, we have to let him have a good rest no matter what."
Concubine Yi smiled and said, "Your Majesty, you have to speak first. The Emperor listens to you most."
Nan Yan patted her, and Concubine Yi covered her mouth and laughed.
Speaking of the entire harem, only Concubine Yi Li Pan'er can be considered an "old person" from the same period as her. Although the younger concubines dare not show up in front of them, they are somewhat spoiled. Nan Yan has nothing to say to them, but she can talk and laugh with Concubine Yi. The two of them get along like relatives, can say a few words to each other, and sometimes they can let down their guard a little.
Nan Yan was silent for a while, then sighed softly and said, "But you are right. No matter what, he should have a good rest. Otherwise--"
Concubine Yi looked at her with wide eyes: "What else?"
Nan Yan turned her head and glanced at her. The ominous words "It's hard to guarantee long-term" came out of Master Shangshan's mouth after all. He didn't want to scare her, so he just smiled and said, "Nothing."
Concubine Yi was not stupid either. She could clearly feel that the Imperial Concubine was worried about something. However, after staying in the palace for so many years, she was well aware of the way of survival nowadays. The relationship between the Imperial Concubine and the Emperor was completely different from that between the concubines and the Emperor. So there were some things that she didn't ask about, let alone think about.
So he changed the subject, looked around, and said, "It seems that the road we are taking now is not the same as the one we took when we came here."
Nan Yan laughed and said, "Sister, you have a good eye."
Concubine Yi turned to look at her, and Nan Yan said, "This is a new waterway discovered five years ago. It can save several days of travel from the Imperial Tomb to Jinling."
"real?"
Concubine Yi was surprised and delighted, and said with a smile: "Then our emperor will suffer for a few days less."
Nan Yan also laughed.
She sighed softly and said, "I also want to go to Jinling as soon as possible to see what the situation is like there."
The smile on Concubine Yi's face gradually faded, and she said softly, "I heard that five years ago, Jinling City suffered a great disaster."
Not sure if it was because she was walking on this waterway, or for some other reason, but Nan Yan's mind was vaguely transported back to five years ago. She recalled the devastated city of Jinling, the dead Xu Shizong, and the departed Jian Ruocheng and Xu Miaoming. Most importantly, she recalled the poor girl named Qingting. Although she had now been buried as the emperor's adopted daughter, her resolute look before her death was still deeply imprinted in Nan Yan's heart. Every time she thought of it, she felt pain.
She whispered, "It's more than a disaster. It's a living hell."
Concubine Yi turned and looked at her.
Nan Yan smiled again and continued, "So after that, the emperor reduced taxes in Jinling for a few years, which gave the people here a break. Chen Xuan submitted several petitions and heard that the situation in Jinling has improved a lot. This time, I should be able to see a new scene."
The most important thing is that it can make Zhu Feng happy.
Concubine Yi smiled and said, "That's good. Yongping has never been here before, and I want to take her to see my hometown."
Nan Yan also smiled and nodded.
The dragon boat carried their expectations, creating ripples on the calm river surface and moving forward rapidly.
A few days later, they arrived in Jinling City.
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